Made in China: How China’s illegal ivory trade is causing a 21st century African elephant disaster

Made in China: How China’s illegal ivory trade is causing a 21st century African elephant disaster

May 27, 2007

China has the largest illegal ivory trade of any nation in the world. It is the most significant global destination for illegal ivory. Ivory traders are now thought to be stockpiling elephant tusks and ivory products for lucrative sales to the hundreds of thousands of foreigners expected to attend the Beijing Olympics in the summer of 2008. China’s long failure to crack down on its massive illegal ivory trade makes a mockery of its claims to be hosting a “Green Olympics”.

On August 17th, the world’s governments will convene in Geneva, Switzerland, for the 18th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP18). At CoP18, governments (or “Parties” in CITES parlance) will address the most pressing trade-related conservation issues facing wildlife and plant species around the world. EIA will be at CoP18 working to ensure that protections for threatened species like elephants, rhinos, and rosewood will be strengthened and to hold to account those Parties that have failed to meet CITES requirements.

In 2018 the Environmental Investigation Agency continued to confront the greatest environmental threats facing the world today. The EIA team pursued, documented and exposed the activities of syndicates that threaten endangered species, damage the climate and ozone layer, and drive the trade in timber stolen from the world’s most important remaining forests.